Bub's BBQ in Western Mass

Well, it's been a while. It's not that I haven't been dining out, or traveling. Rather, thinking about my blog has become like thinking about revising my dissertation proposal, or thinking about emailing that adviser I really should email; it's too overwhelming to even begin. And so, here I am, back at it. The only way to get something done is to do it, right? Deep thoughts right there. Take it in.

Anyway, back in June before I left Western Mass for the summer, I went to a restaurant that I have passed daily for the last two years: Bub's BBQ in Sunderland, MA. I know what you're thinking: BBQ? Massachusetts? Don't worry, I'm with you. This is why I never stopped there. Additionally, I'm incredibly reluctant to try new places in my area. Most ventures, beyond the three establishments I frequent, are huge disappointments.



Bub's ended up being worth the stop. The restaurant is a good distance from Amherst and the UMass campus. As such, the clientele seems a weird mix. Mostly biker dudes on day trips from I have no idea where.

For between $10 and $16 you pick some sort of meat, or meat combo, and get unlimited hot and cold sides. We went with the baby back ribs and pulled pork + kielbasa link. The baby back ribs were not as moist as I would have liked, nor did the meat easily fall off the bone. The pulled pork was a much better choice. Neither sauce was terribly memorable, but they were still enjoyable.





Quite possibly the best part of Bub's was the aforementioned unlimited hot and cold sides. These sides were bangin'. They weren't throw away sides, or "eat these while you wait for your number to be called because you're really hungry, but they aren't even good" sides. No way. They were awesome. Collards, peas, corn, mashed potatoes, rice, sweet potato something. Awesome.



We decided to get the hush puppies as well. For $3.95, sure, why not. Sadly, they were dry and tough to get through. Many went uneaten. After my recent trip to Charleston, SC, Bub's has no business even thinking about making hush puppies (foreshadowing future blog post).



In the end, Bub's was absolutely worth a visit. I wish I had managed to get there sooner. I used to wonder about Bub's as I'd drive by on my way to and from Bikram yoga. Now, I think about whether or not I want to ruin the 1.5 hr workout I just endured by stopping at Bub's for some pulled pork.

Bub's BBQ
676 Amherst Road
Sunderland, MA 01375
(413) 548-9630

The Pacific Northwest, Finally

This past December, which yeah, I know, was last year by this point, I went to Washington and Oregon for a little fun. Again, football brought me there, but I managed to parlay the trip to Spokane (which is 5 hours from Seattle) into a little drinking and eating time in the oft-romanticized locals of Seattle and Portland.

Even though I visited during the worst month of the year, I still managed to fall in love. But as an East Coast person at heart, I don't know if I could ever forsake our hurried, irritable and incessantly driven lifestyle for one of idyllic beauty, coffee and beer heaven and ever-so politeness. But, for now, I'm tied to Massachusetts (3 years to go) and must simply debate the prospects of a westward move with every one I know.

My stay in Seattle was short. The day after a perfect dinner, at the home of my welcoming hosts (pâté, cheese, king salmon, sugar snap peas, steamed rice and wine), we all went to brunch at Spring Hill in West Seattle. I had Saimin for the first time ever: smoked pork belly, six‐minute egg, pork & ham broth, fish cake, scallion. It was a distinctive form of almost-Pho heaven. This bowl was huge and I did my best to kill it all. The meat was awesomely tender and the broth was spicy and tastily developed.



After this short stay in Seattle, I took Amtrak down to Portland, OR. All of us in Philly know the hype about this alleged "beertopia." I've been known to refer to it as the "other Portland." Portland, ME being first and foremost in my heart. But, this Portland was awesome too.

The foodcarts were perhaps the MOST glorious thing I've ever seen, and my mouth is watering just writing this sentence. I wish that this was something Philly could really embrace (I think I understand the licensing issues that exist in Philly). Some might say that Philly does have foodcarts; certain places around Penn's campus and the other hospitals do have them. But that is not the same thing. Also, a food truck by one of Philly's most famous chefs doesn't count either. Whole blocks are devoted to pods of foodcarts, 20 or so in one place. Complete awesomeness. The one cart I went to offered one sandwich: porchetta, local arugula, and lemon on a hearty roll. Done. Perfection. Purity. Heaven.



Anyway, enough gushing. For simplicity sake, I'm just going to do a photo rundown of my trip:

Deschutes Brewery


BridgePort Brewing Company


VooDoo Doughnut


The People's Pig Foodcart


Horse Brass Pub


Belmont Station Beer Store


Also, the first night I had dinner at Higgins. The second night I ate at LePigeon. Both locations were too dark to take photos. I'm seriously against using flash in restaurants. I draw the blogging-line right there. Both meals were good, but dinner at Higgins was really spectacular. Thanks to Dr. Joel and S&V for this one. The bartender was friendly, and the charcuterie plate was probably the best I've ever had. All of it done in-house.

In the end, I ate as much as one person could possibly eat on this trip. I had to keep the drinking to a minimum, as navigating a city by yourself isn't the easiest/safest thing to do while drunk. And yes, the good beer was plentiful. I searched hard for all the beer spots to hit, but I couldn't make them all on foot or by public transportation. Next time, a car might really be worth it in Portland. And obviously, I shorted Seattle. But with my new found intense love of the Pacific Northwest, I'm most certainly making a trip back.

The Lobster Roll

Alright, if for no other reason that to prove that I'm still alive, I need to make a blog post. And, I don't want to become a part of those statistics about defunct blogs. I was approaching the 6 month mark, and that is unacceptable. I will say that I have been training for a marathon for three months. This has seriously cut into my eating lifestyle.

Anyway, what has brought me back is the Lobster Roll. I have been in love with lobster since I was about 13. Prior to this point I only ate Oodles of Noodles, blue-box mac & cheese, and double-stuff Oreos. Ask my parents, they can attest to these atrocities. At some point I started to become a more adventurous eater, and lobster became a crucial part of the dinner of my dreams; something for special occasions only.

Typically, I eat my Lobster Rolls in Maine. (There's no way to say that without sounding like a snob.) I have, sort of, a problem. An addiction really. Moving to MA has been beneficial for me, if for no other reason, in that I am closer to Maine. When in Maine, I've been known to stop for Lobster Rolls as much as possible. At times, to the detriment of my ability to eat anything else. The "best Lobster Roll of my life" was consumed in July 2008 at Ebenezer's Pub in Lovell, ME. At a "world-famous" beer bar, this food find was unexpected. I also recommend the Lobster Shack at Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth, ME, just outside Portland. Between trips to Maine I fill my need for Lobster Rolls at a place that shall not be named.

Almost two weeks ago I had an amazing Lobster Roll. I was in Newport, RI for a football game. Ahem, no comment. But, the day before the game my Godfather (wow that's a pretty fun term to use for real) took my parents and I to the Brick Alley Pub & Restaurant. A Newport mainstay for 30 years, my Godfather has known the owners for quite sometime.



On a Friday lunch, during the off-season, this place was packed. People were on a wait for at least an hour. The inside of the place is charming; the walls are adorned with random and/or local memorabilia and antiques. And, as someone who has worked at a very, very clean restaurant in Philly, I have to say, this place was potentially cleaner. (That one's for you Johnny Tria)

But I digress. Naturally, I had the "Overstuffed Lobster Salad Roll." I was told that the crab cakes are great, but that's not for me.



Mostly, I was shocked by the quantity of lobster. The mixture itself was pretty good; claw meat was interspersed with smaller pieces of shaved lobster, and there wasn't too much mayo. The style, admittedly, varied with my Maine mainstays; this Lobster Roll was larger and there was less discernible knuckle meat.

As a gluten-freak, I adore the Lobster Roll bun, or "New England-style hot dog bun," if you will. I saw a bag of these rolls at the football game and nearly lost my mind. Maybe I've been hiding under a rock, or shopping at Whole Foods too much, but this made my day. Yeah, I love Martin's potato rolls, but there's something special about a Lobster Roll bun toasted with butter.

And so, my Lobster Roll need was satisfied. As much as restaurants in the Mid-Atlantic attempt to emulate this lobster treat, it's never the same as what you can find up here. It's just a New England thing.

Brick Alley Pub & Restaurant
140 Thames St.
Newport, RI 02840
401-849-6334

Cogito Ergo (Ad)Sum

Last night I had a chance to get to Matt Levin's new restaurant, Adsum. While I don't like to go to restaurants in their first week, sometimes you have to take the days off and the opportunities as they come. Having heard so much buzz about the place, I had somewhat high expectations.

The menu itself is intriguing. At times the wording is reminiscent of Daniel Stern. "Green sauce." Uh, okay sure! Almost everything sounds good. So, we went with:

Grilled Rock Octopus, Black Pepper Caramel


Salt and Vinegar Chicharron


Kool-aid Pickled Watermelon


The octopus was well cooked. The sauce itself was more BBQ than black pepper caramel, but whatever. It was spicy and generally enjoyable.

The chicharrones were pretty ah-mazing! I think that they made the vinegar into a powder. They were certainly salty and delicious. I wanted to take an order home and eat them as a midnight snack.

The pickled watermelon, for 3 dollars, was also pretty good. The Kool-Aid flavor really came out in the few pieces of pickled rind that were on the plate. Additionally, the basil on the dish was really fresh and actually not overwhelming.

For our main course, we went with:

KFC Sweetbreads, Peas, Risotto, Mustard


Fried Chicken, Collards, Ham Hocks, Hot Sauce


The sweetbreads were per-fect-ly cooked. The risotto, on the other hand, was not great. It was undersalted and too watery; as if they used water instead of stock. The peas were also unevenly cooked. But hey, that can happen with a new restaurant.

The chicken, while yes, kind of a lame choice on my part, was amazing! I have never had such tender and juicy, melt-in-your-mouth, chicken before. I don't know what they do to it, but it was perfect. The collard greens with the ham hocks were also enjoyable. Oh, and the biscuit you see on the plate: the most joyous gluten treat I have ever put in my mouth. Yet, fully admitting my gluten fetish, the biscuit was on the undercooked side. That didn't bother me, it was heaven.

For dessert we went with Ricotta Doughnuts and chocolate. I have to say, it was a good try. The outside was nicely crisp. Yet the inside was too soft. I'm not sure if it was undercooked, or simply the fact that it was ricotta. The chocolate sauce was also broken and did not stick to the doughnuts as you might like. Yet, it was still a nice dessert.



Beverage-wise, there is a nice list of cocktails. I had the "Unholy Water." I love ginger beer, so it was alright. I went with a cocktail because the beer menu was annoyingly marked up for import bottles. I know how much Petrus Pale Ale costs and I'm not about to pay more than I should for it. Perhaps they will re-think their list and/or the markup.

All in all though, this place has enormous potential. The menu is interesting, the proteins were solidly prepared, and the service was friendly. All of these small missteps can be attributed to the fact that Adsum just opened a week ago. I know that I will be back for a second go around. Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later.

Adsum Restaurant
700 South 5th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
267-888-7002